Demons
by link13122
Summary: "A famous man once said, we create our own demons." A year after the tragic death of the beloved AI Cortana, Master Chief continues his career, only now with Spartan Team Dagger. Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, has started on more projects, for after New York, he thought he could never sleep again.
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

Emptiness, the only word to describe the feeling. After 8 years, Chief Petty Officer Master Chief was bereft of Cortana, his AI companion through a 20-and so- year war. As he stared at the chip that once contained the only person to bring out Chief's personality, he felt a cringe of deep melancholy. He had taken the old chip that once contained Cortana, and put a chain through it . He clenched his fist around it, sighed to himself, and put it back around his neck.

Everyone on board the Pelican, which consisted of Spartan Fire Team Dagger, stared at the Master Chief in wonder. The former leader of the team, Jonah, signaled for the team to lock and load. Scarlett, Frank, and Seth each grabbed their idol Assault Rifles, and loaded a magazine. After the magazine clicked into place, they flipped the safety on, and clipped them to the magnets on the back of their armor. Scarlett stood with a full set of Recon Armor, OD Green. She opened a container which held her personalized Sniper Rifle. She pulled a few pieces of the disassembled rifle out and laid them out, then without hesitation built her rifle, loaded, and sat it beside her. Frank simply sat in a set of War Master armor, slowly loading his shotgun, clearly taking his time. Seth quietly stood holding a handle hanging from the ceiling, as was expected from a Spartan, let alone the fact that this was his first deployment with Dagger Team after the death of Ralph. He didn't feel alone though, he had other Spartans, and he joined the team without knowing that Sierra 117 would be joining also. Jonah unholstered his DMR, Designated Marksman Rifle, and checked the magazine, before setting it down and grabbing his own Assault Rifle from the weapon rack. Everyone checking in green, the Pelican lowered to the LZ, unsure of what to expect.

As the pelican hatch opened, the Spartans vaulted, hitting the ground kneeling, and readied their weapons, searching for imminent danger. Master Chief felt a tingling sensation on his chest, and reached for Cortana's old chip. He looked thoughtfully at it, then stuffed it in an armored pouch. He signaled for Dagger to move with him, and sprinted up a hill, realizing that it would be a long climb, since they were required to cross a mountain and find a Storm Covenant weapon cache, since they still hadn't given up. Chief stopped after a good distance was covered, and nodded to Scarlett, who returned the nod, and headed up the mountain in a different direction. The rest of Dagger Team followed at the same elevation, then descended down the other side of the mountain.

Once in the valley, the Spartans grouped together on a hill, minus Scarlett. "Dagger 3, do you read?"

"Loud and clear, Dagger 1. I'm in position, and it seems there is trouble brewing ahead."

"Is it a group on guard, or did we find the cache?" Frank poked.

"It looks like our lucky day, this seems to be it."

"On 3?" Scarlett asked, though it was more of a declaration.

"On 3." Jonah clarified, though Master Chief was in command, Jonah was to assume control when the cache was found, as both Chief and Seth were new to the team and hadn't seen the capabilities of their partners. _1,_ Seth counted, _2_, as if synchronized, Jonah barked "Now!" and Scarlett's Sniper roared across the valley, dropping two elites aligned perfectly in her sights. _Poor bastards, _she thought. The assault team moved behind cover until they reached the cache, gunning down the covenant as they went. Chief hugged a wall, stopped at the corner, and peered over, seeing an elite using the same tactic. He lunged forward, tackling the startled Elite, and swung his forearm towards the Storm Rifle in its hands, sending it flying. The elite swung at Chief, but he easily dodged each attack and delivered a fatal blow to the Elite's skull, or it would have been, if not for the shields now down on the Elite's armor. He unsheathed his knife and stabbed at its throat, but it caught his wrist and resisted. Master Chief pushed his locked arms with the Elites over to the right, and headbutted the Elite, and with a crunch, the Elite withered away. Chief unholstered his rifle, and opened fire on nearby Elites. His rifle clicked, and he quickly swapped magazines, flawless and swift. As soon as the magazine popped into place, he began firing again, but now in short controlled bursts, the rifle belching lethal rounds towards ranged targets.

A laser from a beam rifle, most likely from a Jackal Sniper, nailed Chief in the chest, forcing him backwards. He looked up, weighed a fragmentation grenade, and tossed it into a cluster of the snipers, on a reverse gravity sustained perch. Seeing three bodies fall out of the nest, he turned his attention to the loud rumbling of a charging Hunter, in which he swiftly avoided. Grabbing his knife once again, he charged the Hunter, slashing across his back and separating the colony of worms. The Hunter laid in two, and Chief scavenged two plasma grenades, and popped one on each half of the Hunter. As if on cue, the brother charged, but was stopped short as Frank blasted buckshot into its back. It immediately whipped around and swung at him, landing a blow that knocked the shotgun out of his hands. Scarlett's rifle boomed in the distance, and the Hunter's head exploded, and it collapsed.

Frank stood up, shook off disorientation, and continued to fight. Seth found the core of the bunker, where the cache was hidden, and called Frank in, conveniently not only a Shotgun Maniac but Demolition expert too. Frank rushed inside, clearing out a few grunts first, and place explosive charges on the supplies, save for a few in which he took for a souvenir. "We are good to go." Dagger Team now headed back to the extraction point, a few clicks down the valley. They scavenged the Covenant forces, and took a Wraith, operated by who else but Frank. Chief and Jonah sat on either side, and Seth was in the turret, while they waited for Scarlett, who arrived shortly.

They encountered a few patrol squads, but nothing a mortar round from the wraith couldn't handle. Once they reached the extraction point, they called in the UNSC Infinity, and secured the perimeter. There was nothing but silence among the Spartans, as per usual. Once the Pelican arrived, they hopped inside, and flew back to the Infinity.

Tony Stark scratched at his eyebrow, diligently working on the Mark 42, his latest creation. This suit was designed for emergencies, and could be called to his aid, assembling much faster than previous models. He checked the clock, 5:00 wasn't able to sleep ever since the incident with New York and the Avengers. Even when asleep, he couldn't rest, for his dreams haunted him._  
_

Pepper was awake at 6:00 AM, always early to check if Tony ever fell asleep, but as she assumed, he was tinkering. "Tony, you need rest. You can't keep toying with these suits."

"They are a hobby."

"They are an obsession."

"Listen, I can't sleep," his tone changed, "ever since New York, I can't sleep. I use these suits as a distraction, because I can't lose the only thing I have left, and that is you." Pepper frowned, then gave Tony a hug, before departing for work. "Sir, the Mark 42 is ready for deployment, though I recommend.."

"Thank you JARVIS, I'll take it now."

"Impatient as always, sir. I shall prepare a flight plan, where to?" Stark scratched his chin, and said, "JARVIS, have you ever been to Egypt?" He was watching the news, where a terrorist group erupted into violence. "Right away, sir."

Tony always felt more safe in his armor, cut off from the world. Arriving in Egypt was a slight disappointment, as he enjoyed time to think during flight. He stopped, hovering above a small warehouse. "This is the destination, sir." Tony landed, crashing through the ceiling, and took a once over. His suit indicated armed forces, 7 on the first floor and 4 more on the walkways above. He readied the strike missiles on the Mark 42, and eliminated the 4 on the walkways, then fired upon the others with his repulsors. He heard an engine whir, and turned around to see a cheaply imitated Mark 1, starting towards him. He quickly used his flight power to strafe around the Mark I, and located the extremely vulnerable engine. Cutting out the engine with the unibeam, he got to work tearing the armor off.

The armor ejected, and a man with a bright blue sphere emerged, and shouted in a foreign language, then detonated the sphere, causing a massive explosion, which Stark was sucked into. Hundreds of error signs spammed his view, and JARVIS started speaking inaudible warning messages, then the suit shut down, and the bright blue light disappeared, along with Tony Stark.


	2. Chapter 1 - Intrusion

CHAPTER 1 - Intrusion

After debriefing, Master Chief headed to the Hangar, not for any specific purpose, but just to be alone. A hatch hissed open, and he found his way into the large hangar. He spotted an ammo crate, and sat down to think. _Promise me you'll figure out which one of us is the machine._ Chief couldn't get Cortana out of his head, even after a year. He pulled out the damaged chip and looked at it. Seeing as how he concealed his emotions, bottled up inside his armor, he said, "You were more human than I ever was."

***Commander Sarah Palmer let out a long sigh. All teams reported successful in their missions, except for Majestic Team, who had assistance from Crimson Team. She pulled her Scout helmet off of her head and scratched at her scalp. She then studied the room - _her room._ Being in command of the Spartan Ops entitled her to a private bedroom, or so Captain Thomas Lasky had said. She would certainly appreciate it though, and she laid back on the bed, then realized that she still needed to get up and go remove her armor.

After the small struggle with the machines, she returned to her room, and checked a data pad nearby. She looked over the history of the events that took place on Requiem. She remembered clearly when Del Rio got what he deserved, and recalled when, as an insult on many occasions, he called her Lieutenant, her former rank as an ODST. She also remembered Master Chief, who she secretly admired for doing what had to be done. She heard of what happened to Cortana, and since she could somewhat understand Master Chief, understood that alone in the field for so long can bring you attached to the most advanced AI Halsey, or all of ONI, has ever created. _Halsey. _Last Palmer checked, Halsey was with the Sangheili, either a traitor or prisoner. She was inclined to believe traitor, as she was communicating with 'Jul Mdama before the incident, which is also reason number two; she shot Halsey in the arm. "Roland, if I'm not up in four hours, sound an alarm."

"Aye aye, ma'am!" Palmer rolled her eyes. Roland was the _Infinity's_ sarcastic AI, who often interfered with her Spartan Ops more than she would like. She laid back and fell asleep, the first time in a long time.

Palmer woke up to an alarm. "Alright Roland, I'm awake now. Roland?!" She opened her eyes and sat up, and realized that the alarm was not to wake her up, but to get ready for an assault. "Roland! What's going on?" She rushed down to obtain her MJOLNIR armor while waiting for his response, but it didn't come. A hatch hissed open, and she stepped inside, and with horror gaped at the slaughter. Scientists and response teams were impaled by energy swords, and many had large holes in various locations. She ran inside, and a few scientists came out of hiding. "Ma'am, they killed them, all of them."

"Yeah, but not you! Help me with the armor, and then follow me, we'll make it okay?" 2 scientists ran to a nearby console and the third approached her. She stepped into the machine, and waited for it to equip her armor. She grabbed her helmet and placed it on her head, then activated the HUD. "Alright, egg heads, we need weapons. We will stop by the armory, but until then, stay by my side and don't try to be a hero." She crept back into the corridor, looking the way opposite of the hall she came from. There was a few blood stains, but nothing compared to the previous room. She advanced cautiously, signaling the scientists to occasionally move forward.

Ezekiel Stane followed the Commander. He was confused. He had found a strange sphere in the A.I.M. facility, and picked it up curiously. Next thing he knew he was aboard a space ship! He explained his situation, and the "UNSC" allowed him to work with the other scientists to find their way home. Now he followed the tall, muscular but sleek woman, who suddenly stopped. He stopped as well, and sucked in a breath, trying to be silent. He wishes he had been able to finish his business with A.I.M. before he was sent here, he would have been weaponized. Then he heard what she stopped for, _heavy_ footsteps, hard to miss. A blur of light stepped only a few feet away from the Commander, and she pounced, her combat knife brandished in the dark corridor. There was a spray of purple blood, then the disposition of light faded into a large alien creature. The Commander looked up, and charged into another alien. She threw her weight on the strange creature, and it lost its footing. The Commander drove her knife into the strange creature's skull, and it writhed for a few seconds, before rendering still.

Palmer looked back, then seeing the three scientists unscathed, proceeded forward. There was a long hike with anxious egg heads, but she finally made it to the Armory, which was bare, save for a few pistols. "Alright guys, this will have to do." She passed the pistols around, and then turned to the shelf again. _2 pistols, _she thought, _I'll take those. _She grabbed all the ammo she could find, scavenged a few grenades, and swiped the pistols from the rack. She checked on the scientists, and saw one with a discontent look. "You must be that guy from Earth. Teleported, was it? Anyhow, you know how to use one of those?" The scrawny man nodded nervously, then pulled back the slide on the pistol.

***Master Chief sprinted down the hangar. The _Infinity_ was under attack! He had just made it back with Dagger Team, and now they were under fire again. He looked behind him, and saw the rest of Dagger Team following close behind. He skidded to a halt at the access to the elevator, and waited for the others to catch up. The elevator hummed to the hangar floor, and then the Spartans stepped inside. "To the Armory, Roland!" Jonah yelled. Without reply, Roland sent the elevator to the armory. Chief noted the groaning elevator struggling with the weight of 5 Spartans. He thought of how it would work with the Mark V MJOLNIR armor and 5 Spartan II's, not 1 with 4 Spartan IV's.

A _click_ indicated that they had arrived, and they stepped out of the elevator. _Empty._ Chief turned around, and lead the Spartans to a corridor, with occasional Elite corpses. Scarlett stopped and picked up a casing. "Magnums? Looks like they got what was left of the armory." Frank grunted. He wished that the weapons they had on the Pelican weren't hauled away before the attack. "Wait, what about our guns. Where do they take them?" Scarlett stopped, as if she ran into a wall. "That's right, they take our weapons to a personal armory, and I know exactly where it is!" Chief allowed Scarlett to take point, and simply followed the tall woman. She was certainly younger than him, but seemed older than Frank and Seth. "Cort-" Chief had to stop himself, but he was about to ask where the armory was. Melancholy struck him like a hammer on an anvil. The only thing holding the anvil from a direct hit from the hammer was the metal- his armor. Chief felt as if he didn't need to share any emotion behind his armor, like a shield or a second skin.

Scarlett looked back, noticing that the Master Chief looked distracted. Everyone knew that he would soon assume command of Dagger Team, and everyone was okay with that. Jonah wasn't a bad commander, but Chief, well, he had luck. Her boots slid across the smooth floor, and she stopped in front of a room labeled "Storage Compartment Sierra." The Sierra fooled any common man into thinking Storage Compartment S, but it meant that the Spartan storage unit was inside. She punched in a code, then stepped inside.

The Spartans rushed inside, and grabbed their weapons. Scarlett frowned at her Sniper Rifle, but slung it on her back. She was approached by Master Chief. "Here, take my rifle. You won't be able to efficiently use your rifle on the _Infinity._" She looked at him, and nodded. She felt guilt in taking it, but knew that she couldn't argue with him. He grabbed a Magnum Pistol from a nearby crate and stuck it to his hip. Time for the party to begin.


	3. Chapter 2 - Finite

CHAPTER 2 - Finite

Master Chief peered around a corridor. 45 minutes had passed since they hit the armory, and still silence. Radio chatter was silent, so COMMS must have been down. He signaled for Scarlett and Seth to take the right corridor, and Frank and Jonah to go left. They trusted him to go alone, and he pushed forward. Chief thought that these Spartans deserved their title, and would have been a hell of an addition to Blue Team. _More painful memories._ Master Chief was constantly tormented by casualties. He often wondered how lucky he really was.

A loud bang rang out in the corridor, coming from the vents above. Chief unholstered his pistol, steadying it on the vent. A grunt smashed through a weak point in the vent, sprawling to the floor. Master Chief fired a round in its head, and it stifled movement. Apparently, the gunfire gave away his position, because several Elites came pouring out of the door leading to the next seemingly endless corridor. But they didn't seem hostile. Instead, they lowered their weapons, and signaled to someone behind them. The Elites parted, making a walkway for... the Arbiter?!

"Good to see you, Master Chief."

"Likewise, Arbiter." The Arbiter looked around, studying the room carefully. "It would seem these 'Storm Covenant' want me dead. Their leader, 'Jul Mdama wishes to assassinate me, were it so easy. But, as anyone on Sanghelios, he has a right to do so, as long as he does so honorably."

"Yeah, I've heard of him. How did you get here among the raid?"

"I happened by, catching a glimpse of the UNSC _Infinity_, but it was easy to see that not all was well. I knew that had to be the work of Mdama, so I hurried inside, unfortunately a few of my men were confused for this 'Storm Covenant'." Chief nodded, and they headed to the bridge.

***Palmer peeked down the following corridor. She was sick of hauling the egg heads around, but knew they were valuable to the UNSC. She heard distant gunfire, and charged down the corridor to find the source. Skidding to a halt at the intersection, she looked to her left to find two Spartan IVs, Frank and Jonah. "Commander, where the hell is everyone?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. We need to get to the bridge before they do, they can't seize the _Infinity." _Jonah nodded, and he and Frank accompanied Palmer, which was a relief since they could help watch the egg heads. They passed a cargo lift, leading a few floors closer to the bridge. _Perfect._ Palmer wished that there was a nearby elevator that could send them directly to the bridge, but unfortunately, there hadn't been one. She sighed and stepped inside, removing her helmet. "Where is the rest of your squad?"

"Ma'am, we split up to find you and the others. Don't suppose you know the Captain's status?"

"Haven't heard from anyone in four hours, before I got some shut eye. Then I woke up to find the _Infinity _under attack." Jonah looked down at his feet. "I guess you didn't get much rest after your mission, huh?" The lift stopped, and the group stepped out. "More corridors, like a goddamn labryinth."

***Scarlett sprinted down another corridor. The new kid, Seth, had performed efficiently, she liked him. "How do you like Dagger Team, Rookie?"

"It's great, ma'am." Straight to the point, and nothing more. He was an over-achiever on the job, but never said more than what was necessary. She remembered footage of him in training.

_ There were 4 teams of 3 Spartans. War games. Seth was with two others, whom he was unfamiliar with. Their job was to destroy the tower before other Spartans reached it, while marines with non-lethal rounds hunted them. Seth followed the other two Spartans, and in no time they were half way to the objective, eliminating Marines along the way. A sniper had eliminated one of the three, and Seth and another Spartan charged up to the sniper's position. They eliminated the Marines stationed there, but were ambushed by a group of opposing Spartans. Seth had eliminated them at the cost of his partner, trying as hard as he could to keep him alive, and questioned why the Spartans must fight each other, the objective would be completed with the unified Spartans working as one group. Still, he pressed forward, and meanwhile only two other teams remained. Seth stalked one group, and struck them when they were in a narrow passage constricted by rocks. They fell one by one, and Seth continued. The other team had reached the tower the same time as Seth, only he was a good distance from the tower, watching. The Spartans called the ordnance that would supply explosives to complete the objective. When it arrived, they let their guard down, and Seth eliminated each of them with precise rounds. Placing the ordnance, he blew up the tower. When the trainer questioned why he had tried against the teams as only one, he replied that he had to for his fallen squad members._

Scarlett was still distracted when Seth shot his arm across her chest, and he pressed on her shoulder so that they were crouched behind a munition crate. She looked up, and saw what he had taken caution to, a blue ring materialized in the center of the tram. A faint blue light began to form inside, and it grew bright, until a gold rocket shot out of the ring, and then it disappeared. "Was that portal from the Covenant?"

"I doubt it, ma'am. I suggest we find out what it brought, though." The Spartans shuffled down the corridor to the rocket, now lying on the floor. When Scarlett was but feet away, she saw that it was a _man._ Her first guess was a new model of MJOLNIR, but it was too small to be a Spartan. "Hello? This is Lieutenant Scarlett of the UNSC, identify yourself." No response. She looked over to Seth, who shrugged and picked the thing up. Slinging it over his shoulders, he pressed back towards the Tram, and they headed to the rest of Dagger's location.

***Chief had run into Commander Palmer and some scientists, along with Jonah and Frank. He nodded towards the two, and they responded with a similar courtesy. "Master Chief, glad you could join us. The rest of your squad will be here soon, every survivor is now in Med bay. The Bridge is secured, and the Covenant are retreating. Looks like we did damn well."

"Good to hear, ma'am." Chief looked over the scientists, and then looked back for the Arbiter, sensing that his introduction was important. "Commander, Jonah, Frank, this is the Arbiter. He is a friendly, so I prefer he is treated like one of us." They nodded, and Palmer gave a skeptical glance, before replacing her helmet, which clicked into place. The Arbiter gestured at the Spartan IV's. "Looks like there are more Spartans now. I guess the Sangheili underestimated you when they said humanity would simply continue to colonize all of space." Chief nodded, and his attention diverted when the door hissed open to reveal Scarlett and Seth, along with a red robot. "Spartans, what the _hell_ is that?" The two shrugged innocently at Palmer, and Scarlett addressed her. "Ma'am, this thing came out of a portal. We aren't sure of what it is." Frank pushed past the crowd of eager scientists. "I know damn well who that is! Think of the phenomenon of the 21st Century." The Spartans had blank expressions, which included body language. Frank sighed, "That is _Iron Man!_ Remember the billionaire Tony Stark? He made this suit to protect the Earth! Actually, he made multiple. You guys are gonna tell me that I am the only one who read comic books?" Palmer shook her head. "Well, _he _is unconscious, so we'll take him to Med Bay and sort this out. Scarlett, Seth, you are in charge of him for now. The Spartan IV's have secured the _Infinity_, and we are now making repairs. The Spartans nodded, then Seth carried the Iron man to the Med Bay, leading the rest of the Spartans and the scientists. Chief couldn't help but notice one of the scientists turned red at the appearance of Iron Man.

***Tony Stark woke up in a daze, with narrowed vision. His mind filled with panic until he realized he was still wearing the MK 42 Armor. The suit slowly activated and he sat up, realizing he was in a hospital. Looking around, he noticed he couldn't find any relevant information from JARVIS by scanning nearby equipment. He looked over to see two towering armored people staring down at him. Startled, he said, "Looks like you guys know how to build armor without my ideas, huh?" The taller figure took off.._her_helmet, revealing long brown hair. "Hello, Mr. Stark, it looks like we have a lot to fill you in on. You are Mr. Stark, right?"

"Yeah, yeah. How do you know me, and who are you? I mean, I was never good with remembering what happened the morning after, but I'm pretty sure I would remember a woman as tall as you."

"Well, I am a Spartan IV, a super soldier modified for war against the _Covenant_. My name is Scarlett, and this is Seth." She gestured towards the other guy. "We found you when you shot out of a portal onto our ship. Is there anything you can tell us about how you got here?"

"Nothing, other than a man throwing a small blue orb at me, which I assume created a rupture in time or something. That's how movies go, right? Anyway, what the hell is a Covenant, and where can I get some damn food?" Scarlett filled Tony in with 5 centuries of information, both swapping interesting information.

"By the way, you wouldn't happen to know where I could find a laboratory to fix my suit, would you?" Scarlett looked at him funny. "I think that is a secondary concern right now, Mr. Stark. We-" An explosion cut her off. The power was cut in each room. Tony couldn't see two feet in front of him, and one of the Spartans guided him. He stumbled while trying to get his helmet on. "JARVIS? Are you there?" A patchy transmission came through. "Hello sir...distant...caused a weak feed...Allow...to adjust." There was a long pause. "All better, sir. I cannot find a location. Where have you disappeared to now, sir?"

"Funny story, JARVIS, I'm in space. 500 years in the future. Glad you're here though, buddy." Tony carried out routine set up for his suit, then he was able to see and function without help. "Time to kick some alien ass."


	4. Chapter 3 - Capture the Flag

CHAPTER 3 - Capture the Flag

Tony had been placed on clean up duty with the two Spartans from earlier, Scarlett and, uh, that other guy. He had seen some crazy things in his day, but never aliens like these. New York was crazy, but this was _insane._ There was a few different races of aliens that wanted universal domination. Of course the humans pissed them off, so they had a grudge on them. Tony hadn't had a problem blasting his way through them, though. The bigger ones that the Spartans referred to as elites could take some hits, though. His suit had been equivalent to that of the muscles on those spartans, so he hadn't had trouble.

An elite approached him, so he powered the thrusters in his hand and delivered a powerful back hand, feeling bones crunch on contact. The elite flew away, and he readied for a volley of grunts, easily taken care of with repulsors. He studied the area, and turned to Scarlett. "Well I think that takes care of them." Scarlett nodded and removed her helmet. "Yeah, I'm picking up all clear from each clean up team. Good job, Mr. Stark."

"No problem, now can we figure out how the hell I can get out of here?" Scarlett replaced her helmet, not answering. "Seth, we need to get to the Bridge and report to Commander Palmer." Seth nodded, and they rushed off, Tony close behind.

***Commander Palmer let out a long breath. She had been waiting on the Spartan teams to clear out the stragglers from the invasion, and they all reported back clear. She had taken a head count, and every one save for some fallen marines and scientists were present. All injuries were minor, but thankfully Captain Thomas Lasky was not among those injuries. He was tending to the injured, telling Palmer that he had great medical experience from Corbulo Academy. She allowed him to help out, and simply carried out Spartan Ops, as usual.

The first back were Jonah, Frank, and John. She smirked, "Good to see you, boys. I was all alone back here." Frank shrugged, "Well Commander, if you wanted company, all you had to do is ask." He laughed, but Palmer just shook her head. "Ma'am, has Dagger Beta reported their status?"

"Don't worry, Jonah, they are alright, in fact, they're on their way now." Just as she finished her sentence, Seth, Scarlett, and the Iron Man walked through the door. "We're not late, are we sweetie?" The only one to address her as such, Mr. Stark. "Just a little." He frowned, then flipped his face mask back down. "If we are all clear, grab some ammo, Spartans. They started the fight, now it's our job to finish it." The Spartans moved without hesitation. Mr. Stark was the only one who hadn't gone off to do something. "Mr. Stark, why don't you join them, we have some nice tools to repair your armor."

"Sure, and you don't mind if I gain access to the _Infinity_'s computers, do you?" Before she could reply, he said, "Well I'm already in, I'll need to be if I'm gonna fix this armor." She shrugged him off, and he jogged down to join the Spartans. _He would have made a good soldier._ That may be to be determined yet. He has a suit that doesn't run off of ammo, but power. With augmentation, that wouldn't be a problem, but the egg heads probably would demand a look at the suit.

She wandered off to the armory, slowly trotting along the corridors to the access tram. A nearby hatch hissed open, and she turned to see who had come. _Nothing..._ She approached warily, her pistols readied. A blur of light whirred past her and a large fist nailed her in the back of the head. She fell to the floor, losing consciousness.

***Seth grabbed a DMR and an Assault Rifle. He packed ammo wherever he could, readying to retaliate from the attack. Scarlett nudged him. "You're gonna need this, Rookie." She handed him a Shotgun, with a sling. He threw it over his shoulder, on top of his DMR. "Thanks." She seemed astonished to see him talk, but kept assembling her gear. He grabbed a jet pack, then headed to the hangar to wait for the Pelican.

***John grabbed an Assault Rifle and a Battle Rifle. Everyone was ready, and Lasky gave them the green sign to go. They stepped onto the Pelican and chose a seat. Tony made a good addition to the team, providing energy blasts that would fry the shields on an elite. "Commander, where do you want us to enter?" No reply. "Commander Palmer...Commander?" Roland replied. "Spartans! Commander Palmer has been taken hostage by 'Zan Tkela, another elite cultist!" _'Zan Tkela, now we have a target. _"Roland, can you send Scarlett our coordinates, she's the pilot."

"Done, get her back safely, Chief."

***Palmer moaned. Her head throbbed painfully. She opened her eyes, but was temporarily blinded by the bright light. She tried to move, but her hands and feet were bound, and she looked to see that they were chained to the wall. There were Engineers, or Huragok, disassembling her armor. They fiddled with each piece, then placed it on a table once it came loose. She shouted. "Get away!" They backed away, then floated over again and continued their work. She sighed, then looked around. 4 metal walls with 1 door and a few, very bright lights.

Once her armor was removed, the Engineers retreated through the door way. An elite entered, carrying what she assumed was food. He sat it on the table, then a few other hinge heads entered the room and carried her armor and weapons away. The elite drew his pistol, then pressed a button that released the clamps holding her to the wall. She fell to her knees, then the elite grabbed her by the collar and walked her to the table. He grabbed a nearby chair and shoved it under her, and she acted. She grabbed the back of the chair and smashed it into the elite. He crashed to the floor, and she crushed his skull with the stool. She grabbed for his pistol, but soon realized it was empty. _Dammit!_She continued through the passageway, and ran into a few elites who hadn't noticed her yet. She took cover behind a crate, then sidled over to one of the elites. She rushed over and snapped his neck, and another charged at her. The elite threw a punch, but she ducked and drove her fist into his abdomen. The elite quickly recovered and delivered a kick to her breastbone. She flew back, breathless, and the elites surrounded her. _I can do this! _ She spun on her back and swept the elites off of their feet. She stomped on one's throat, then shouldered another as he recovered. She twisted his neck until it made a sickening _crack, _then turned to another. He brought up his rifle, and she shot her fist into his face. The elite collapsed, and she sprinted down the ran for what seemed like hours before she ran into another group of elites, who were caught by surprise. She managed to kill two before the third brought his arm across her face. She spun around, and the elite kicked at her, shattering her tail bone. She fell to the ground, and turned over, pain blossoming in her tailbone. She grunted and kicked, twisting the elite's head 180 degrees. _Damn..._ She slowly got to her feet, then limped forward. _I haven't felt pain like this since I fell on the glass on the drop in the Glasslands. _She heard multiple footsteps, and prepared for another fight. Instead, she found salvation. John turned the corridor, leading the rest of Dagger Team.

"Palmer!" He rushed over to her, and hoisted her into his arms, damsel-in-distress style. "Watch it, watch it. I just boxed a couple of elites!" He readjusted, and then charged back to the others. Scarlett looked her over, then said, "Well, lets get back to the _Infinity_, Lasky will be glad to here she's okay." John nodded, and they exited the Forerunner structure. They stepped out and found that they were surrounded by _thousands _of elites. They stopped, except for Iron Man, who Palmer hadn't previously noticed. He stopped slightly ahead of the others, and raised his arms. Laser beams shot out of his forearms and cut the elites _in half_. She watched in awe as a fraction of a fleet was exterminated by a _civilian._ Scarlett already shot for the Pelican, and the others followed. John set Palmer down on a medical bed, right between the seats for everyone to see. Seth boarded last, carrying a sack containing her armor. She laid her head back and passed out. _Rescue Op successful._


	5. Chapter 4 - Repair

Tony sat back in a chair in the lab. He needed to find something to extend the life of his suit if he's going to fight these things. For the time being, he wanted to take a look at a drive he found that had fallen off of one of the Spartans. He plugged it into the computer, and he noted that it was badly damaged. "Incredible, JARVIS, that in 500 years they didn't have holo screens like mine at home. Begin a file scan and then I'll work on physical repairs. After that I'll return this, I just figured I'd see what's going on.

"Multiple files recovered, Sir. I'll bring them up." Tony looked at the screen as a few messages popped up. He carefully scrutinized each one.

UNITED NATIONS SPACE COMMAND ALPHA PRIORITY  
TRANSMISSION 04592Z-83  
ENCRYPTION CODE: RED  
PUBLIC KEY: FILE /BRAVO-TANGO-BETA-FIVE/  
FROM: ADMIRAL ROLAND FREEMONT, COMMANDING FLEET OFFICER, FLEETCOM SECTOR ONE COMMANDER/ (UNSC SERVICE NUMBER: 00745-16778-HS)  
TO: ALL UNSC WARSHIPS IN EPSILON ERIDANI SYSTEM  
SUBJECT: IMMEDIATE RECALL  
CLASSIFICATION: CLASSIFIED (BGX DIRECTIVE)

/START FILE/  
COVENANT PRESENCE DETECTED ON REACH SYSTEM'S EDGE COORDINATES 030 RELATIVE.  
ALL UNSC WARSHIPS ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO CEASE ALL ACTIVITIES AND REGROUP AT RALLY POINT ZULU AT BEST SPEED.  
ALL SHIPS ARE TO ENACT THE COLE PROTOCOL IMMEDIATELY.  
/END FILE/

OFFICE OF NAVAL INTELLIGENCE  
NARROW-BAND POINT-TO-POINT TRANSMISSION  
CLASSIFIED TOP-SECRET / FOR YOUR EYES ONLY

RE: WARM BLANKET  
FROM: VADM. BERLIN M. TURSK, UNSC HEAVY CRUISER SWIFTSURE  
TO: CPT. LUCIUS R. JIRON, ONI PRO-49776

LUCIUS, MY APOLOGIES FOR THE BREVITY OF THIS MESSAGE. RAIN CHECK ON THAT COFFEE TOO, WE'RE PULLING OUT OF THE SYSTEM.  
AS YOU ALREADY KNOW, YESTERDAY THE UNSC DECLARED THE COLONY OF MIRIDEM LOST. THE FIGHT HAD GONE ON FOR OVER TWO WEEKS AND WE KILLED A MOUNTAIN OF THOSE BASTARDS, BUT APPARENTLY NOT ENOUGH. DURING CIVILIAN EGRESS, ONE OF OUR EVAC CRAFT [BL-9400493] CARRIED A PSEUDOCIVILIAN THE SPOOKS CONSIDER PRI 1-DOCTOR CATHERINE ELIZABETH HALSEY. NOT SURE HOW THE HELL THAT WENT DOWN, AND USUALLY ONI HAS A GOOD EYE ON WHERE SHE IS AT ALL TIMES, BUT THERE SHE WAS, ON MIRIDEM'S SURFACE, JUST AS THE COVENANT STARTED THEIR THING. APPARENTLY HER S-II BODYGUARD WAS TAKEN OUT DURING EXTRACTION, BUT THE SHIP SHE WAS ON STILL MANAGED TO ESCAPE. THEY EVEN MADE IT TO THE EDGE OF TEH SYSTEM  
SAFELY, BUT A COVENANT INTERCEPTOR DISABLED THE VESSEL BEFORE IT WAS ABLE TO SLIP. EVERYONE ON BOARD WAS KILLED EXCEPT FOR HER, SO THEY OBVIOUSLY REALIZE THEY HAVE SOMETHING. AS YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT BIG ON TAKING PRISONERS. OUR CONTINUOUS PINGS TO HER BEACON INDICATE THAT SHE'S STILL ALIVE AND STILL ON ICE.

ONE OTHER COMPLICATION-THEY'RE BOUND TO HAVE DETECTED TEH SHORT RADIUS M-WAVE BOUNCE, WHICH MEANS THEY KNOW THEY HAVE A MICROTAIL AND THEY'RE LETTING IT FOLLOW, SO THEY'LL BE EXPECTING TROUBLE. IF WE STOP PINGING HER TRACKER, THEY MAY ASSUME SHE'S OF NO VALUE TO US. WE'RE BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE. FOR THE TIME BEING, WE'RE FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT THE COVENANT DON'T FULLLY UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OR NATURE OF THE PACKAGE THEY HAVE IN THEIR POSSESSION, BUT WE'RE ALSO PRETTY DAMN SURE THAT ONCE THEY FIND OUT, THEY'LL ATTEMPT TO EXPLOIT HER TO THE FULLEST EXTENT. FOR NOW, PREP YOUR OF92S. ADMIRALTY'S SENDING SPARTANS YOUR WAY FOR A QUICK AND DIRTY EXTRACTION.  
ORDERS WILL FOLLOW SHORTLY.  
-B.

Hello Agnes,

(Not a typo by me, taken from _The Fall of Reach) _Your probably didn't expect to hear from me, not while we're in the middle of this mess, but I know you've seen the bulletin and it's been eating away at me. You're the only person I can really talk to about it. I have no doubt my communications are being monitored, but all of this is public record, or at least, official record.  
Ralph 303 is hardly anomalous in terms of what happened to his mind state and general psychological condition after his removal from the Spartan-II program, but the recent revelation regarding the manner of his death and the declassification of some elements of the Spartan-II program make this as good a time to talk about an uncomfortable part of our lives as any.  
_We have to be careful with children._  
I don't mean to sound glib or preachy, you know I'm not that way, but we have a moral responsibility, even in the face of great challenges and difficulties,  
that we cannot ignore. If we are tasked with saving humanity, then we must, as scientists, understand what saving "humanity" actually means. If we abandon the very things that make us human to defend balls of rock, then what are we saving, precisely? Better to take the path of least resistance offered by the "Flood" anomaly, or even annihilation by the Covenant, than abandon our own human worth. Self-preservation simply isn't a strong enough argument.  
So I said I wasn't going to be preachy or glib, and I failed there, I suppose. I'm sorry. This has been eating at me since I saw the bulletin. He was a good  
kid. Most of them were good kids, and I feel like we let them down. Daisy handled it better tan Ralph did, at least in the short term. But I think at the end of the  
day, Ralph's path was better. I think he lived a happier life, even if it was truncated. I read his whole file. He led a good life.  
Physiological differences can't be ignored. Although some of his gene treatments were curtailed and suppressed, some irreversible changes had occurred. He'd have been an intimidating child in school, even with a strict military upbringing. Being an alpha male in an environment replete with them hardly makes his adolescence and emergence into adulthood typical-he had some advantages. We can assume that the lack of typical "schoolyard" competition and relative lack of stresses in those environments made some of the transitional years easier for him than if he had been, for example, a shorter, weaker child, more prone to bullying. School reports do show some bullying tendencies on his part, but nothing particularly cruel and the reports indicate a simple and perhaps normal phase, rather than a trend or pattern. To all intents and purposes he was a fair-minded and ostensibly "good" child. The fact that he recovered from that much trauma and actually served in the Marines is a testament of his strength.

Before Tony could finish reading, a little blue hologram of a young woman with short hair popped up, both startled. "Wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm sorry, who are you? I found a drive lying around and I decided to repair it. You aren't Roland or JARVIS, but you are an AI, right?"

"Correct. My name is Cortana, and I was created by Dr. Catherine Halsey. If you found this, can you tell me if you know where Spartan 117 is?"

"Doesn't ring a bell, but I found this with one of the Spartans during a rescue mission. There's Jonah, Frank, Scarlett, Seth, and John, along with our..."

"Wait! John, the Master Chief!? That _IS _Spartan 117! Bring me to him now!" She seemed to pause a moment, then said, "actually, Mr. Stark, would you kindly repair my drive first?" Tony frowned. "I'm going to find out how you know my name, but not now. Let's get to work."

***John was waiting outside the Med-Bay. Commander Palmer was wounded pretty seriously down on the Forerunner planet, nothing fatal, but injuries to keep her off of her feet. As with any Spartan or fellow marine, he left that he was responsible to check in on her. He reached into his pocket for Cortana's chip, _missing._ He looked around frantically. He wasn't going to lose her again, so to speak. "Master Chief, you may come in now. I'll give you some privacy." John nodded, and the doctor walked off. His boots thundered down the corridor and he stopped at Palmer's Med-Cabin. The door hummed, and opened up slowly.

"Commander Palmer, I stopped by to see how you are feeling." He saluted her, but she waved his hand down. "That's very kind of you, Chief, but I'm okay."

"A shattered tailbone will keep you off of your feet Ma'am." She cracked a smile. "I don't suppose you'd kiss it better? That's a joke. I don't plan to be bedridden long, just enough so that the bone stays in one piece for me to sit on my ass in the Ops chair without Lasky worrying." She shot a glance. "Though I do enjoy being out on the field." John looked over to the wall where a few X-Rays had shown her tailbone in pieces and a compound fracture on her breastbone, plus a dislocated shoulder. "Get some rest, I'll be going." John got up and stepped out, then headed to the Armory, retracing his steps.

***Scarlett was looking at parts for her Sniper, along with some new armor. She loved customizing her equipment. What was the point of getting a Spartan's paycheck without spending it? Seth had settled down on a nearby crate, silent as always. "Pardon my asking, ma'am, but where do you find equipment suitable for a Spartan?" She glanced over her shoulder, and motioned for him to come over. "Captain Lasky had us supplied with a few manufacturers, so we can put in requisition orders." She smirked, and handed him her data pad. "Check it out."

He scrolled through the armors, scanning each one for efficiency in combat and purpose. She shrugged, and went back to her "shopping." "What do you think of this barrel extension?" Seth glanced over, and approached. "Just how many can your rifle hold?"

"As many as I want, 2 so far. Let's make this three. Did you find anything?" He passed the data pad. "Just some Mark VII armor, newest and most efficient." She looked over the customizations, _nothing._ "My boy, we need to go over a few things." She threw her hair into a little-effort pony tail, then sat next to Seth on the crate. "You _need _to customize your armor. It makes you distinguished." He shrugged, "Whatever makes you happy." He scrolled through the list, frowning as he went. He selected white. "White with what?" Scarlett teased, "it has to be unique." He scrolled down, and tapped his finger on red. "Was that so hard, Rookie?" Seth just shook his head and handed her the data pad. "How long do we wait?"

"That depends on where we are relative to the nearest carrier. You want any weapons?" Again with her teasing... He took the data pad, and scrolled through the weapons.

***John rushed past the Engineering bay, where he ran into Tony Stark. "Hey, do you have a minute, big guy? It's about your chip you've been carrying around." John stopped, and looked down at him. "Where is she...it?" Tony held it up. "I went through the trouble of fixing _her._ You can thank me later. All I ask in return is a helping hand from _her._" John looked down at the chip, and to his surprise, Cortana projected. "Chief, it's me! Your friend Tony repaired me! I have lost a fragment of myself that stopped the Didact, but fortunately that means any side effects from rampancy are gone." Tony interrupted. "Rampancy? I fixed that! All it takes is a little Stark Industries touch. Just ask JARVIS." John was elated. He had been given a second chance with his _best friend._ "Thank you, I will help you with anything you need, Mr. Stark."

"Call me Tony. Let's get started in the lab."


	6. Chapter 5 - Gods and Monsters

CHAPTER 5 - GODS AND MONSTERS

Palmer sipped her coffee. A week had passed since Chief got Cortana back. It seemed that Tony Stark was a damn valuable man. She herself was doing better, too. She had almost completely healed and already sat around watching Spartans in the field. They had Ops involving the exploration of the new Forerunner planet, which they've settled on calling AuTi, in honor of their newest compatriot, Iron Man, whose suit composed of a gold-titanium alloy. The Arbiter had returned as well, though he never left the ship. He was lingering on decks, providing medical help, which she guessed he had assistance with considering he was Sangheili and they were humans. He also helped providing assistance on the field with the Spartans. A damn good addition. _The mess hall is open now..._ She looked over to Lasky, who was busy discussing something with Roland. They had to detain one of the scientists, one from the same time period as Mr. Stark. Apparently, he wasn't overly fond of him, and had started a bickering fight between the two, which could've ended badly seeing as how Tony had befriended the Master Chief.

Speaking of, they had spent some time in the labs helping Tony look at Chief's MJOLNIR armor so he could augment his armor with the same shields and generator. They suggested a color change, but Tony insisted on going back to his design that came with his MK 3 armor, a Hot Rod Red and Gold, a color scheme almost opposite to the MK 42. Lasky said as long as Tony provided a helping hand when asked, he could help himself to playing with the tools in engineering. Dagger Team was doing well, Seth was getting along _very _well with Scarlett, and they had supplied Seth with new armor, which, completely out of character, was white and red. Palmer didn't care as long as they got their job done. They're damn _Spartans, _anyone could see them plain as day, unless they were stealthy, in which you wouldn't be able to see the brightest of colors anyway. _I wonder what's for lunch._

"Roland, what do we have for today's agenda?" The AI took milliseconds to split into multitasking by talking to Lasky, running the _Infinity,_ and responding to her question. "Commander Palmer, today we found a group of Storm Covenant excavating _something._ I am quite curious to find out what they want, and I suggest deployment of a Spartan Team immediately." Sarah stretched her sore arm, which a week ago was dislocated. "Alrighty Roland, deploy Dagger Team, which as of now includes Iron Man." Roland snapped his fingers and smirked. "You know, you could be Iron Man. Fe is the periodic element Iron, and male means man, therefore Female means Iron Man." Palmer rolled her eyes. "That was cheesy, even for you Roland." He chuckled, and his image disappeared, which didn't mean he wasn't still available. As an AI, he could be everywhere and anywhere he wanted, save for Crew Cabins without permission, and bathrooms, of course. Palmer snapped back into attention, she still had a job to do. "Dagger, you're being sent to investigate an excavation site under control of the Covenant. Give them the UNSC welcoming, will you?" Looks like her meal would have to wait.

***Jonah slammed a fresh magazine into his DMR and turned towards his team. "You heard the lady. Now, don't cry, faithful followers, but from now on, Master Chief will be leading Dagger Team. Seth nodded, and looked over towards Scarlett, who was making history of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "Scarlett, where the _hell_ did you get that?" She turned towards Seth, and smiled. "I ordered some a few weeks ago, during downtime, and I was hungry." Seth chuckled. "You're something, you know that?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." She wolfed down the rest of her sandwich and readied her rifle. "I aim to please." Frank tapped Seth's leg. "Since when did you call us by our names? It's about DAMN time, _Seth._" Frank placed his helmet on his head, and it clicked into place. Jonah and Scarlett did the same, and Seth realized then he had his on since his armor was on him. He had to admit, the white and red _was_ a nice touch. Master Chief walked over to the center of the Pelican, and addressed everyone. "As you know, I'll be leading this fire team from here on out. I expect nothing more of you than Spartans, I expect you to do your duty. Chief Petty Officer Mendez once told me that there was a time to decide whether lives were _spent or wasted._ If you can remember that, I can expect you to push through anything." Chief sat back down. He knew that the only thing that had bothered him early in his career was losing allies, like Sam. _The mission was to destroy the Covenant spacecraft. We got the job done, but Sam's armor was punctured by a plasma round. He had to stay to detonate the nuke, saying he couldn't leave without decompression killing him anyway._ He noticed the crew occasionally glance at Tony. "Spartans, this, as you all know, is Tony Stark. Commander Palmer has asked him to accompany us on our missions until we can sort out his situation."

"If I may, Chief," Tony interjected, "I am most likely the only one who can fly. If you need any assistance, notify me. That includes vehicles and mass amounts of baddies. In case you didn't pay attention on the last mission, I am good with taking out their energy shields." With that, he nodded and sat back down. Chief nodded, and looked at Scarlett. Roland answered his question. "Scarlett, I have autopilot on, so finish your 'snack'." Everyone looked over to her to see she had taken her helmet off again and started eating chips. "Is there a time you don't eat?" Seth again, but it was unlike him to talk to anyone without anyone directly addressing him first. Scarlett shrugged, and continued chewing her food.

"Alright, Spartans, ready yourselves. I'll be dropping you off in a minute." Scarlett poured the rest of the chips down her gullet, then discarded the bag, and replaced her helmet. Seth shook his head in his hand. The hatch opened, and the Spartans jumped out, landing into a dry desert like plain with a giant crater. Chief signaled for Scarlett to go right, and sent Seth as a spotter, seeing as how they were friends. He sent Tony with Frank, and took Jonah with him around the left. They crept up on a group of Unggoy, the grunts. Chief grabbed a grenade from his belt and pulled the pin, waiting patiently, then threw it into the crowd. They screamed and scrambled, most stumbling to the ground. In the end, they were all caught in the blast. Jonah popped out of cover, which was a rock, and started firing his DMR at the distant Jackal snipers. Each gunshot signaled a dead Jackal, and Jonah threw his thumb up over to Chief. He nodded , and ran out of cover along with Jonah.

The two Spartans charged a group of Sangheili, Elites. They whipped around and opened fire with Storm Rifles. Plasma bolts whizzed past their heads, but they persisted forward, and occasionally their rifles would belch, and an Elite would fall. They stopped at the mound of corpses, and Chief's rifle barked as he put a few rounds in the Elite's heads. They pressed forward again, and Chief checked the vitals of the others, _green. _Cortana finally spoke. "It looks like we weren't expected. They didn't even roll out the red carpet."

"Yeah, I suppose we should signal Scarlett the green light to start firing." He quickly did a twice over of the scene, making sure there wasn't anything he should advise the others of. 2 pairs of Hunters, a dozen Elites, and hundreds of Grunts, plus the Jackal Snipers skirting the area. "Scarlett, we're ready."

***Scarlett and Seth charged up a hill, attempting to remain out of sight, yet get into position on time. Not a problem, for a Spartan, anyway. Scarlett steadied her pace and slid into position at the edge of the hill. Seth followed suit, stopping right next to her. "Remind me next time not to eat my damn food _on _the Pelican." Seth laughed. "That's basic training material, Scarlett." She elbowed him, and then positioned her rifle to take out some hinge heads. Her third barrel extension made her rifle _extremely_ long. She adjusted the zoom, and meanwhile Seth simply readied his DMR. She tapped his shoulder, signaling she was set up now. "Now we just wait for Master Chief's word, huh?" Seth nodded, then looked over at her. "Did you have anyone in New Phoenix?" Scarlett stopped, chewing on the thought. "Nah, but I'm sure someone of _Infinity_ did, it's a damn big ship." Seth frowned. "I guess we were lucky that the Master Chief was able to stop the Didact from any more damage, let alone destruction of the planet." Scarlett nodded, then looked over to him again. "What happened to you? One minute your a damn mute, now we're best buddies." Seth started an apology, but Scarlett interrupted. "It's okay, Seth. A girl wouldn't mind a little company when the others are either dead serious or psychotic demolitionists, namely Frank." She made a Spartan Smile gesture, two fingers across her helmet in an arc. "Scarlett, we're ready."

"That's our cue, Seth. I guess we oughta start shooting." Seth readied himself, but she stopped him. "You take the snipers outside the area, I'll get the Elites." He nodded, and started squeezing off rounds. Seth was sure if he didn't have his helmet on, he'd go deaf, because Scarlett's sniper was _loud._ Three clumsy Elites were lined up, and Scarlett took the opportunity to fire a round through all three of them. The snipers took notice, but Seth didn't allow them enough time to live to shoot at her. Seth heard snarling, and whipped around to see... A brute? The giant ape swung a gravity hammer at Scarlett, but Seth charged at it, and blocked the hammer with his rifle. The DMR was snapped in half, and the force from the hammer threw Seth to the edge of the cliff, hanging by his finger tips. Scarlett had already acted, and was currently punching the brute in the face. He swung his gravity hammer, but missed, and dirt flew into the air. Scarlett landed a few more hits before he backhanded her, and her helmet was dented. She threw it away. _Oh no!_ Seth had to get up, but the snipers had started firing at him. Now it was a game of dodge the bullets and protect your friend from a giant.

Scarlett continued grappling the giant, who had missing teeth, while she only had a broken helmet and a small stream of blood on her face. She swung more punches, and while he was dazed, she batted the hammer out of his hands. "Come on, you ugly bastard!" The brute swung his arm at her face, clawing her throat. She couldn't escape his grip. He pulled his fist back, and landed a blow to her gut. Scarlett was dizzy. She was disoriented for a few seconds, and felt naseous. _Now is not the time to..._ Suddenly, she smirked at the Brute, before wretching and shooting bile in his face. The Brute yelled, and stumbled back, releasing the Spartan. She quickly jumped on top of him, and started landing clean blows to his face, and she lost control. When she could see straight again, she was punching a pool of blood and mashed brain in a bowl of Brute skull wrapped in skin, complete with its flattened eyeballs. She stood up, and turned to see Seth climb up the ridge. He approached quickly, then looked at the Brute. "Nice. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, just a little blood." She touched her hand to the side of her head, and looked. _Shit._ There was dark and thick blood on her glove. She could suddenly feel the warm liquid, sticky on her face. "Don't worry, Seth, I'm fine." She stumbled around trying to reach her rifle, and collapsed. Seth caught her, and radioed the others.

***Tony blasted down the center passage to the excavation sight. He was at a pace so that the Spartan could keep up, 60 Kilos per hour. _Impressive._ He looked down at Frank. He was the demolition expert of the team. They came up on a group of Elites. He fired repulsor rounds at the group, and they collapsed easily. Frank seemed disappointed, but pressed forward, firing at the nearby group of Hunters. Their main task was to neutralize the heavy infantry, and they had begun to do so. Tony started to fire his laser into the plate of its armor, but JARVIS notified him that he would run out of power before he would scratch the surface. _Just like in NY_. He flew around to the exposed back Chief told him about. He fired a few missiles into it, and when they exploded, _worms_ flew out. What the hell had he gotten himself into. The worms re-positioned as to make up for damages, and the Hunter spun around. It fired a fuel rod cannon at him, but the shields took most of the blast. He loved these shields. His armor was already durable enough, but now it had a layer of energy to protect it, plus a new generator that could keep him in the field for a _long _time. Unfortunately, it had a flaw, cool down. He could only use so much before the thing had to refresh, then he could continue. _I guess it's better than running out of power completely. I still have my Chest Piece as back up, a fail-safe._

He fired another volley of missiles, which destroyed the Hunter. he looked back at Frank, who had already begun on more Elites. _Rude._ He joined in, firing repulsors on the Elites, and occasionally targeting a fleeing Grunt. Frank unholstered a Shotgun, and fired into the crowd, eliminating a dozen at a time. Once the firefight was over, they looked to the crater, which contained a large metallic cave system, _obviously not a natural formation._ The radio hissed alive, "Chief, Jonah, Frank, Stark, Scarlett is injured! I need help."

Frank had already started back to their position, so Tony flew up the hill to Seth's position. He wasn't the fastest, apparently, because Chief and Jonah were already there. Frank had just arrived. _Maybe I should use full thrusters next time._ Roland sent a Pelican, and they boarded. "Well done, Spartans. I'll send Crimson Team to the ruins."

***As soon as the Pelican had touched the floor on the _Infinity_, Seth picked up Scarlett and rushed her to Med-Bay. A room was already prepared for her, and they hooked her up to a bunch of machines. Seth sat down in a chair, and one of the doctors approached. "Excuse me sir, you're going to have to-" Seth stood up, glaring down at him, clearly _much _taller. "I'm not leaving her." The doctor cowered away, and they began removing her armor manually. They placed it on a table, and Seth removed her helmet from the magnet on his back, placing it on the night stand by her medical bed.

Seth had a lot of time to worry as the doctors assessed the damage. While they attempted to place a gown on her, Seth was able to view the various cuts and bruises from stray rock shards and direct blows from the Brute. He would constantly run his fingers through her hair, then sit back down, unsure of whether it was to comfort her or him. Everyone from Dagger team had stopped by, and it seemed each hour someone new would come in and comfort Seth. Last, Master Chief stepped in, still in his armor. "Listen, I can understand what you're going through, and it's going to be alright." Chief seemed to struggle with his words, as if he was alien to his own voice. "Are _you_ going to be okay?"

"Yes, sir. And Master Chief, thank you." Chief nodded, and headed out the door. Seth looked back at Scarlett, still unconscious. He let out a sigh and buried his face into his hands. Someone sat beside him. He looked up to find Mr. Stark. "Hey, I want you to know that I'm going to help out in any way I can, so if you need time to stay back, I can help fill in for you." He half-frowned, and continued. "I know I'm not a Spartan, but my suit makes the difference." Seth nodded, and look into his eyes. He saw sincerity. "Thank you, Mr. Stark." He smiled, then his face reflected a troubled look. "Just call me Tony, alright." He nodded, and Tony stepped out. Once again, Seth was alone with his thoughts.

A doctor stepped in, and stood in front of Seth. "Excuse me, but I'm afraid I have troubling news. It would appear that the patient has suffered severe trauma, and it is likely that she will not pull through. I'm sorry to tell you this, but you're a Spartan, you'll get over it." Seth glared at him, and glanced at his name tag. "Thank you, Doctor...Stane." The doctor stepped out of the room, with a snug smirk on his face. _That son of a bitch!_ Seth pounded his fist into a metal cart, smashing the top shelf into the floor. He knelt by the bed, and held Scarlett's hand. "We'll make it, won't we?"

***Tony walked down the corridor that led to the Tram Access. He was deep in thought about Scarlett. The Spartans treated one another as family, so her injury would be similar to Pepper in the hospital bed and Tony at her side. He really felt bad for the poor man, who had been pinned and unable to help her. He stumbled into a Doctor, who fell over. "Sorry about that, Doctor...Stane!? I thought you were detained!" The doctor collected himself, and stood up. "You thought wrong." He pulled a pistol from his vest and fired at Tony, but he had another surprise in for him, courtesy of the Forerunners. His MK 43 armor materialized around him, similar to that of the 'Promethean Knights' when they would teleport. He pulled his fist back and slammed it into Ezekiel's face. His skin _fell _off, revealing a metallic suit. "What are you!?" The rest of the skin burned away, and he approached. "I am Ezekiel Stane, and I have perfected your design by infusing my body with the 'suit.'"_  
_

Tony stood in awe, then Ezekiel charged at him. Tony fired his Unibeam, which hadn't had much more effect than pushing him away. He bounced back and fired repulsors from his hands. When he closed the distance, Tony threw his fist at Ezekiel, which he caught. He fired more repulsors at the close range, Tony's shields flickering wildly. Tony activated the flight stabilizer in his hand and backhanded Ezekiel, escaping his grip. He fired multiple repulsor rounds, which he took without signs of damage, then delivered a powerful punch, similar to that of the Gravity Hammer on AuTi. Stark flew back, and his armor was badly damaged.

"Hey!" Tony turned to see who yelled, and discovered that Seth had come out to see what the noise was. He sprinted down the corridor, and stopped once he was beside Tony. "Who the hell are you?"

"It's me, Doctor Stane." That was all he needed to hear. He threw his fist into Ezekiel's abdomen, which gave way to circuits and wires. His hand was caught, so he started digging into the wires while delivering blows with his other hand. Ezekiel headbutted him, and Seth returned the favor, denting his metal 'face'. Ezekiel flew back, gripping his face, and started firing the repulsors. Seth had dodged each blast, and kicked Ezekiel back into the wall, then delivered his fist, which flew through his metallic face, and dented the wall of the _Infinity_. In a few seconds, Marines had arrived on the deck, accompanied by Sarah Palmer. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Problem solved, Commander." Seth wiped the blood from his knuckles, then walked back into the room with Scarlett. Palmer looked at the robot corpse. "What is that?" Tony, out of breath, answered, "Ezekiel Stane, he doesn't seem to like me or Seth. Also, he's an android." Palmer glared at him, but he just shrugged.

Seth had waited for a _real _doctor to come in. "Doctor, is she going to be okay?" The doctor had a stern look on his face. "Well, young man, she certainly isn't dying, but there is a possibility of a coma. She's a Spartan, she's tough. You will both pull through, you understand me son?" Seth considered his words, and nodded. "Thank you, Doc." Eventually, he was the only one left monitoring her, save for Roland.


	7. Chapter 6 - Extraordinary

CHAPTER 6 - EXTRAORDINARY

Tony sat staring at a blank wall in the cabin Commander Palmer was "kind" enough to lend him. A cold metal bed, a cold metal toilet, and a cold metal floor. At least there were blankets, sheets, and pillows. He looked over to the MK 43, which sat powered down in the corner, literally "criss-crossed" in the corner for the humor of it. Tony had to admit, coming here wasn't such a bad thing for his suit, but unlike his other suits, there was no more MK 42, since he didn't have the spare materials to build another suit and salvage the MK 42 for display at home. He thought back at the fight with Ezekiel Stane. _Why wasn't I able to fight him?_ _If it weren't for Seth, I could've been killed..._

His focus was disbanded by the sound of Roland's voice. "Mr. Stark, your presence is requested on the deck." Tony nodded, and Roland's image disappeared.

***Cortana started downloading data, since she could now go for more years than she needed to worry about before rampancy was once again a problem. John was now heading Spartan Fire Team Dagger, and he has quite a team. Remarkable Spartans, along with Mr. Tony Stark. She checked out all she could from old files, and apparently, there were quite a few 'remarkable' people in his day. She opened a link to Commander Palmer. "Commander, I think you may want a look at this." Cortana's image appeared on the bridge, and she displayed images of these 'characters.' Palmer had a bewildered look. "Cortana, what is this?" Cortana scrolled through the files. "Apparently, Mr. Stark was a member of the Avengers Initiative, a secret operation organized by S.H.I.E.L.D. to bring together "remarkable individuals" to work together when they needed them. This organization was inspired by an incident in which the character seen in this image." Cortana indicated the rather large man with long blonde hair clad in metal. "This man leveled a small town when defending it from a giant robot sent from... Asgard?"

"Cortana, explain." Cortana reviewed the files multiple times in a single second, which seemed like an eternity to an AI. "I can't seem to figure this out. According to records, that is Thor, the Norse God of Thunder. He lived in Asgard with his father Odin, and the rest of the Asgardians. The file mentions a Jane Foster, who was to be relocated during an event in New York, where Loki, God of Mischief, summoned an alien invasion." Palmer grunted. "So, we found a fairy-tale. What else?" Cortana brought up an image of a giant green hulk. "According to records, this is Professor Bruce Banner, who was exposed to high levels of Gamma Radiation, and when his temper gets out of control, this happens... They call him the Incredible Hulk." Cortana brought up the image of a man in a Patriotic Suit. "Wait, Cortana, I know this guy. This is Captain America, my father was a huge fan. Over 500 years and the man obsessed over him like he was real."

"That's the thing, Commander, these people are real. They were merely wiped from records." Suddenly, Cortana looked at Palmer, then spun around, and the hologram started tapping away at consoles. Palmer frowned. "Commander, I've found another, well, super hero. This one, wasn't exactly a part of the Avengers. They call him Spider-Man, and as you can guess, he was bitten..." Cortana was cut off.

Tony Stark entered the bridge. "By a radioactive spider, yeah. I'm assuming all these guys are long dead, except for Thor." Cortana turned to Tony. "Well, you're here. Maybe if we can replicate the same circumstance, we can bring them here too, help us win this war. Also, under those same conditions, we could send you back." Tony narrowed his eyes. "I don't know if bringing all of them here is a good idea. They don't belong here, _I_ don't belong here."

Commander Palmer glared at him. "No, you don't belong. But like it or not, we need you. The whole universe lies in our hands, the fate of the human race! This might sound cliche, but we _need_ you and your friends. Now I'm going to have to ask that you assist our scientists find a way to bring them here, and once the job is done, you may return to your time." Tony rolled his eyes. "So I get warped here and you guys, supposedly the good guys, hold me hostage and force me to fight a war you can't win alone." Palmer approached until Tony had to look up at her. "We _can_ win without you, but millions will die without the extra support. Every soldier counts. Now you can save countless colonies or you can go back home and rest easy knowing you killed innocent lives by NOT helping."

Tony's eyes hit the floor, and he thought for a minute. "You're right, I didn't give enough. I gave up a company, almost my life, and my sanity. But I can't quit, not until I give 100%." With that, he left, leaving Palmer to wrestle with her thoughts.

***Frank studied his shotgun carefully, looking for any spots that the oil missed, or scratches he missed. _Spotless._ He placed it neatly in a case, and grabbed his Magnum. He polished the slide, and inspected the barrel, before cleaning it. He set the pistol on the table after a close inspection and cleaning. He heard a large boom. The assumed explosion rocked the ship, and there was a hull breach down the hall. He stepped out, and looked at the size of the breach. _Massive._ He looked up, and saw who the attackers were, Covenant. It was a desperate attack, multiple ventral beams aimed at one location. The _Infinity_ could only take so much. He reached for a COM link. "Commander, we have a situation."

"I'm aware, Frank, spread the word. Scramble the longswords, get Huragok down here now! I need you and all other Spartans suited up." Frank grunted. "Roger that, Sir." He started for the Engineering Bay, a close distance, when he heard a faint rumbling. _The Ventral Beams are charging again._ He looked out a pressurized window, to see the bright light aiming right at him. He started sprinting down the corridor, but to no avail. The hull started glowing bright orange, before it exploded. Purple flames exploded across the hall, and dispersed along with the oxygen. Frank was pulled out into space, but was able to toss his dog tags into the hall for his team, his only family he had left.

***Palmer got a transmission from Corporal Stevenson. "Commander Palmer, Frank didn't make it. His position was hit with the ventral beam, and he was pulled into space." Palmer's fist hit the desk, denting it. "God dammit! I will not lose one more Spartan! Dagger, Castle, Ivy, Majestic, Crimson, and all Spartans, assemble. Bring me Master Chief, now!" Lasky crept from the consoles. "Sarah, we're losing this battle, but now we have an advantage. The Spartans, they didn't have a reason to fight, personally. Not all of them. Now every Spartan has lost a brother, some their families in New Phoenix. Chief, I know him. He won't let God himself get away with murder of a Spartan."

/THE END OF BOOK ONE. I'M SORRY FOR THE QUICK END, BUT I WANTED TO WRAP IT UP FOR ANOTHER ONE WHERE I COULD PROMISE IMMINENT UPDATES, AND I WANTED TO START SHORTS.

++++++In Loving Memory of Jason Binder, a beloved friend, cousin, husband, brother, and father.++++++


End file.
